Prove It
by Kipcha
Summary: Tokyo on the night of the new moon, an unsuspecting Houjo and a human Inuyasha meet... Well, this certainly looks positive.


_I Do Not Own Inuyasha  
I would also like to take this time to thank YenGirl, who always helps improve how my stories looked, and managed to pick up a few errors that I missed.  
Thank You!_

* * *

Kagome heaved herself from the well, nearly falling head first over the side had it not been for a pair of strong hands catching her under the arms and hoisting her up. Kagome smiled thankfully, raising her grey eyes to meet the golden gaze, but was annoyed to find him wearing a cocky smirk.

"Keh, clumsy wench." Kagome snorted, but was used to the insults, and managed to brush it off without a problem. Her empty yellow backpack bouncing on her back, Kagome smiled and ran into the sunlight onto the deserted shrine grounds. Running as fast as she could, Kagome burst through the door and noticed her mother at the kitchen sink.

"Mama, I'm home!" She greeted enthusiastically, running over to the older woman. Korari turned, showing no shock at the appearance of her daughter. After all, they always came over at the night of the new moon. Lightly, she wrapped Kagome in a hug.

"Hello Kagome, how have you been?" She asked, noticing a shadow coming through the door where Kagome just entered but she didn't need to be told who it was. The inu hanyou stood in the doorway, leaning one shoulder lazily against the wall, his golden eyes bored and they seemed to be impatient with the proceedings. Korari wasn't oblivious to body language, and realized how much persuasion it must have taken to allow Kagome back home. After all, Korari knew that what her daughter assisted in in the world beyond the well was important, and despite her own worries, her daughter was need by others, and Kagome's boundless enthusiasm on the subject was hard to say no to.

"Oh, it's been good." She said, absently grabbing an apple from the counter and taking a bite, her stormy grey eyes thoughtful, "Haven't seen Naraku, so its been both a good thing and a bad thing, I suppose. There was a millipede demon a few days ago though..." She wrinkled her nose at the memory, "There was no shard, but it was terrorizing the village, so Inuyasha just ran it through with Tessaiga, showing me in lovely black gunk from head to foot."

"Keh, you smelled awful too, wench." Commented said bug-gut-showerer, smirking, "Good thing there was a hot spring nearby."

Kagome stuck her tongue out in his direction and took another bite of the apple, savouring the sweet flavour, a rare treat for her nowadays, "Maybe I should bring everyone back an apple? I bet they'd like that... Does Kirara eat apples?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, causing Korari to chuckle lightly, which he blatantly ignored.

"So Mama, where's Jii-chan?" Asked Kagome, stuffing her yellow bag with the remainder of the apples, mentally ticking names off as she did so, "I haven't seen him around."

"Oh, he went out to see if there were any new antiques around." Commented Korari, lightly laughing at how it sounded, "And Souta is at school. He really wanted to see you, Inuyasha. He's been talking about you non-stop to his friends at school. His Inu-no-nii-chan."

The only response she recieved was a ear flick and a quite "Keh!"

"Maybe we'll stop by his school on the way back? I mean, even though Souta will see us later tonight, I'm sure he would appreciate the visit during lunch hour..." Asked Kagome lightly, a slight underlying beg in her sentence that the inu hanyou didn't miss. He didn't say anything, which Kagome took as a yes. "Thanks Inuyasha! We won't be that long, promise."

"Feh, yeah right wench."

Too pleased with getting her way to argue, Kagome gave no reply as she rushed up to the bathroom to gather medical supplies. Silence reigned the kitchen as Korari returned to her work, knowing the atmosphere was slightly awkward since she didn't often talk to Inuyasha without her daughter around. Both were slightly relieved when Kagome returned to drag Inuyasha out the door, gently placing a baseball cap over the fuzzy triangles that twitched on top of his head. Giving her mother a quick kiss as she left, she rushed out the door, naming off the vast list of supplies she needed to gather as she bolted down the stairs, a slightly irate hanyou in her wake.

* * *

"Inu-no-nii-chan!" Cried Souta, bolting from the playground and his friends to meet his idol. Grinning from ear to ear, he stood before him in awe, ignoring Inuyasha's cocky smirk at the attention he was receiving from the boy and Kagome's displeasure at being ignored by her sibling. Clearing her throat, she watched as her brother turned to her, still beaming.

"Hi Onee-chan!" He greeted, hugging her briefly. "Stay here, I'm going to go get my friends. None of them believed my onee-chan was dating someone this cool!"

Kagome blushed prettily, while Inuyasha remained confused, unsure of the term Souta had used. "Dating?"

Kagome's returning laugh was more then a little forced. "O-oh, it's nothing Inuyasha..."

Forty-five minutes later, Kagome managed to drag Inuyasha from the midst of his new ring of admirer's, and continued down the street, looking slightly frazzled. "Well, looks like kids here take to you quite well, ne Inuyasha?"

"Keh, yeah, a little too well if you ask me." He mumbled, "Little runts never stop talking, I swear."

"Well, now it's just going around town and gathering supplies." Taking a piece of paper from a pocket she made into her skirt, Kagome began reading off the names of the things they would need.

* * *

"Wow! I'm bushed!" Sighed Kagome, collapsing into a chair in the living room. Bags of food and medical supplies (Three bags were dedicated purely to ramen) were scattered around her feet while Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"That wasn't even how far we walk in a day, girl. How can you be tired?"

"Hey, shopping's hard!" Snapped Kagome, unloading the bags and stuffing her backpack to its usual max compacity, "Not that you would notice. You're too busy sniffing any food in sight."

"Figured I might as well since I won't smell a thing tonight." Replied Inuyasha in a waspish tone, touchy about the event that would happen when the sun went down. "I hate this god damn night."

"Inuyasha, it won't be so bad." Replied Kagome, her voice sympathetic, "Really, it'll be okay." Her eyes brightened, "Why don't we go out and have some fun tonight, hey?" She asked, suddenly enthusiastic, "Just you and me, a night on the town!"

"Why don't we just stay here?" He replied, sulking slightly.

"Oh, don't be such a sour yokai. We can go out, maybe see a movie, go to the park, or just wander around, really." She looked at him hopefully, "Please?"

Sighing heavily, Inuyasha gave in, knowing that one way or another the wench would get her way anyways. She always did.

* * *

"Wow! Look at some of the movies that are out!" She exclaimed, examining the colorful posters, "But nothing here looks like something you would be interested in..." Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment, "I guess we shouldn't anyways. I don't think you could si- I mean, stay still for an hour and a half."

She went on to the next place on the street, a boy with long black hair following her dutifully. The night hung in the air above them, no moon visible in the sky. _Heh, I doubt you could see it anyways, through all these damn lights._Thought the hanyou now human for the night, but as he watched Kagome walking in front of him, looking at him over her shoulder, he couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. Dressed, for the night, in black jeans and green tank top and green sweater on over top, she did look rather stunning. Her grey eyes sparkled as the city lights caught in them, a smile on her lips meant only for him, and he couldn't help but smirk. Of course, though, he would never, ever tell her these things.

His own violet eyes observed the other people around them, and realised most of them were Kagome's age, and the majority of them that were male were staring at Kagome, who was wandering along in front of him. He quickened his pace to walked astride her, glaring at anyone who dared look at her. The remaining people who weren't staring at her were looking quizzically at him, who was still dressed in his fur of the fire rat, which he refused to remove. However, why the females were acting plain ridiculous when they saw him was puzzling to the inu hanyou gone human. What was so funny about him that would make them giggle and blush like that?

He never noticed Kagome shooting glares of her own.

No, he was to busy discouraging the gawking teenage boys from the time travelling priestess that he protected.

"Geez Inuyasha, what are you all annoyed about now?" Teased Kagome, still smiling, "You act like someones gonna steal me or something."

She recieved no reply, not the she had expected one. She looked around, hoping to find something interesting, but failed. Sighing, she was about to reach a crosswalk, which was as crowded as ever, when a voice from behind caused her to whirl on the spot.

"Higurashi-san!" Waved Houjo, pleased to see Kagome, but curious as to why she was out of the hospital. Surely he, her boyfriend, would have been the first one she contacted? Despite his questioning thoughts, he was happy to see her. However, he wasn't too sure of the snarling fellow that stood on her right. Ignoring the fearsome violet eyes of her companion, he greeted his girlfriend.

"Hi Houjo-kun!" Replied Kagome, with not much enthusiasm, and causing the usually dense boy to feel a little put-out. "How are you-"

"Who are you?" Interrupted Inuyasha, his voice low and dangerous, causing a chill to run up Houjo's spine.

"Hey!" Exclaimed Kagome, whirling on the odd boy and turning her back to Houjo, "He is one of my friends you know! You can be such a jerk sometimes."

"Keh!" Snapped the hanyou, jealousy stirring in his violet eyes, "Bitch, I think I have a right to know! You're all over him." Okay, so maybe he exaggerated... A little.

"Well, I am her boy..." Once again, Houjo was interrupted before he could finish.

"All over him!" She shrieked, her voice going a pitch higher, and Houjo began to feel annoyed at the lack of conversation with him, instead her attention was soley focused on this... nut job in front of him.

"Umm... Excuse me, Higurashi-san." He interrupted, touching her lightly on the shoulder, causing a snarl to erupt from the other boy. Kagome whirled to him now, a fire burning deep in her beautiful blue eyes, her cheeks flush and a light pout on her face. To say the least, Houjo was staggered as he realised how beautiful she looked at the moment.

"Ah... Um, I thought you were in hospital, Higurashi-san. Are you feeling okay? Because if you are, I was wonderi-..."

"Well, she's fine now!" Snapped the other boy, finally managing to get past Houjo and stand so he blocked her from view. Houjo could hear frustrated sounds come from behind the wall of intense muscle. "All better, bye now."

"I think Higurashi-san should be the one to tell me if she is okay or not." Snapped the boy, and Kagome was a little shocked at the amount of underlying aggression there was in his tone. Her blue eyes widened and she tried to peek over her 'protectors' shoulder.

Houjo's brown eyes, usually sparkling with good nature were... livid. He was comepletely unaware of the crowd gathering around them, he clenched his hands at his sides in tight fist, and Kagome realised he was actually angry, and it was not a sight she was used to. She shivered slightly, not from fear but from shock and confusion from the sight before her.

"Keh, the wench is fine." Said the hanyou, folding his arms and smirking down at the boy through now amused violet eyes, although there was underlying anger still there, becoming more and more irritated when the other boy refused to leave. The inu yokai inside of him was roaring for him to defend his honour against this boy, and he refused to back down. This human boy would quiver in fear, no doubt, if he knew what he was trying to intimidate.

Houjo's eyes widened at the term used, and before Kagome even saw it, a fist flashed out and caught Inuyasha right in the cheek. It was obviously a fairly hard hit, judging by the noise it made and the look of shock on Inuyasha's face. He stood for a moment, watching the boy who was taking deep breaths, his eyes never leaving Inuyasha's swirling violet ones, which were turning darker and darker as the seconds passed. This boy... This _human_ dared to hit him?

Inuyasha stood perfectly still for a moment, his muscles tensing and he was about to leap when Kagome intervened, stepping between the pair, her gray eyes furious. It felt odd to Inuyasha that, for once, Kagome's wrath was not being unleashed on him, and realized that whatever he could do to this human boy on the night of the full moon was nothing compared to what Kagome was preparing to do.

"Houjo, what the heck!" She shrieked, causing the boy to jump and he didn't miss that the honorific at the end of his name had been dropped, causing him to flinch internally, a small pulse of hurt flowing through him, "Why did you hit him?"

"H-he called you something that is rather disrespectful, Higurashi-san! He has a couple times, but I don't think you have noticed..."

"Of course I haven't noticed!" She laughed coldly, and Inuyasha was surprised at how... mocking she sounded. It was odd. "He calls me those things all the time! I mean, its a rare thing to hear my name coming from him. It's never 'Kagome' unless we're alone or something serious has happened or is happening. It's usually 'wench', 'girl' or 'bitch..."

"He calls you those things?" Snapped Houjo, and Kagome was once again shocked by his tone, but she nodded. He seemed to try to contemplate something before speaking once more. "Are you two... together?"

Kagome immediately blushed, but she was in shock when a rough voice answered for her. "Yeah, me and _Kagome _are together. Whats your problem with that?"

Kagome immediately saw Houjo's aura darken, not with sadness, but with anger. Kagome felt herself gently pushed out of the way by Inuyasha, and Kagome looked up at him, confused. Did he realise what he had just said?

"I don't know whats going through his head right now." He replied to her inquiring look, "And I am not going to let this bastard hurt you."

Houjo looked appalled, his mouth dropping open in shock at the cool words from Inuyasha, and his eyes swirled with rage. "I would never hurt Higurashi-san! Never! I love her, you hear me?"

While Kagome felt her mind reel in shock at such a proclamation, Inuyasha remained calculating, his eyes narrowed as he glared at his rival. "Keh, how do I know you wouldn't?"

"Higurashi, you know I would never, ever hurt you, right?" Snapped Houjo, his frustration getting the better of him when he talked to Kagome, causing her to flinch a little in shock. Houjo never spoke like this to her, in this tone. Never.

"Of course I don't think you would ever hurt me Houjo." She replied quietly, although her voice quavered slightly, which was missed by Houjo along with the missing honourific, but not by the black haired boy who stood in front of her.

"See?" He snapped at Inuyasha as if what the girl had said proved his point, "Now, I suggest you although Higurashi-san to speak with me. Besides, I don't think she likes you very much. She almost seems afraid of you." Inuyasha snarled, and Kagome knew he would regret saying that. Houjo didn't understand the meaning behind those words, and it stung her that someone would even think something like that. "Who are you, anyways."

"The names Inuya-"

"I am not afraid of him Houjo-kun!" Said Kagome, shaking her head and a small amount of anger entering her tone. Stepping around Inuyasha once more, she glared at him. "Don't ever say such a thing again. I mean it."

"Higurashi-san, please, let's just go." When she remained where she was, comepletely unmoving, he noticed the smallest of smirks go onto the other boys mouth, and that drove more frustration into him. Without thinking, he reached forwards and grabbed her wrist, none to gently either. "Kagome-chan, we're going."

"It's Higurashi!" She shrieked, "Let me go Houjo! Your hurting me!"

That was all the encouragement Inuyasha needed. Lunging forwards, he thrust his fist into the other boys stomach, causing him to gasp as the wind left his lungs. Inuyasha smirked in satisfaction as Houjo released Kagome's wrist. Kagome backed away, grey eyes wide and teary as she rubbed her wrist, disbelieving that this was the Houjo her friends were always trying to get her to date.

Houjo stood once more, and without warning, leapt forwards towards Inuyasha, throwing a right hook at the violet eyed human, but was shocked as his opponent leapt into the air, the height of his jump unnaturally high and graceful. Inuyasha landed behind Houjo, his movements animalistic and graceful, and shoulder checked him, knocking Houjo off balance and causing him to fall to the concrete. The crowd backed away from the quarrel when Houjo stood once more and faced his opponent, who smirked mockingly.

"That all you got bastard?" He laughed, and Houjo dove once more, but his hands only met empty air, and he whirled, seeing his enemy already in a relaxed stance behind him. Releasing a shout of frustration, Houjo pursued him again and again, but he could never land a hit as the blur of red danced around him.

Finally, Kagome had had enough. Her frustration and temper had finally bulldozed over her fear, and she was ready to kill them both. She waited for Inuyasha to get close enough to her so she could grab his hand, but missed and grabbed his sleeve instead. He stopped and looked at her before she started pulling him down the street, a determined look in her eye. She kept her gaze diretly in front of her as she roughly grabbed to back of Houjo's uniform and began yanking him along as well. Immediately, the boys anger and frustration turned to utter confusion. Both boys followed as she literally dragged both of them through the crowd, which wisely parted for the girl.

They travelled in silence until Kagome reached her destination, a small park on the outskirts of down town. She walked until they were on the lush grass surrounding a small playground and released both puzzled boys. Even just in starlight, Kagome's grey eyes sparkled brilliantly as she examined both males before her.

"You two are going to work this out." Before they could protest, she stamped her foot. "_Now_. And no violence, you hear me? Or both of you will have one angry prieste... school girl to deal with."

"I don't believe I have anything to apologise for, Kagome-chan." Said Houjo stubbornly, and Kagome realised how much his personality had changed over the years. He was no longer the dense but gentle Jr High boy she had once liked, but a moody high schooler who wasn't mature enough to answer a problem without resorting to his fists.

"First of all, it's Higurashi." Snapped Kagome, pointing an accusing finger at the sandy haired youth, "And second of all, if you had just not resorted to punching Inuyasha, none of this would have happened! It was because you had to be a jerk. I expect it from Inuyasha, but you Houjo? You never used to be like that. You never would have hit him, but you aren't the Houjo-kun I knew, are you?"

"Well, being ignored by your girlfriend for two years can do that to you!" He snapped, enraged at the accusations, "See, we've been dating for two freakin' years and I can't even call you by your first name! I mean, come on!"

"First of all, we have never even dated, Houjo! How are we a couple then?" Snapped Kagome, not noticing Inuyasha's rather fascinated expression at their exchange, "I'm sorry but I have always..." She cut off her sentence, snorting.

"You have agreed to dates though!" Replied Houjo, his voice steadily raising. "And then you have just stood me up!"

"Well, important things came up..." Replied Kagome quietly, remembering her mother telling her that after the short period of not being able to travel through the well because Inuyasha was looking out for her well being, Houjo had stood in front of the movie theatre for five hours waiting for her, a bouquet of wilted roses in one hand and therapeutic shoe soles in the other. "And I do apologise for that."

"Well, perhaps I just won't accept it." Replied Houjo coldly, "I have pursued you for three years, Higurashi. I have looked at no other girl, because you were the perfect one for me. I just knew it the second I saw you, that we were soul mates."

At this, Inuyasha snorted with laughter, interrupting his little rant. Houjo faced him, his expression icy. "You find something funny?"

"Soul mates... Ha, if only you knew... You know nothing of her soul..."

Now that Inuyasha was under a pair of cold stares, he smirked. "My turn to talk now Kagome?"

"How long have you been dating?"

This question threw Kagome off, and she turned back to Houjo, who was staring at her with such raw emotion that she almost felt as if her heart would break, despite his recent behaviour. "W-well, we've known each other for two years..."

"I see..." The boy was silent for a moment, and neither Inuyasha nor Kagome broke it. Finally, after what felt like years, he spoke.

"Higurashi, I will make you a deal. I will stop pursuing you under one condition." Kagome nodded, feeling guilty at the boys broken tone. "Prove to me you love him. Prove to me you love Inuyasha more then you love me. Kiss him."

Even without the light of the moon, and with weak human eyes, Inuyasha could see her face flare red, as his own did as well, no doubt. He could practically hear her begin to hyperventilate.

"K-kiss him?" She asked, eyes growing wider by the second. "Are you serious?"

"I will only stop pursuing you if I think your happy." He shrugged, "If not, well, I'll be hanging around your shrine, trying to get you to see me for the prize I really am. I don't think you see that part of me, Higurashi. But if you kiss him, right here and now, I won't bother you, ever again."

"A-all I have to do is kiss him, right?" Inquired Kagome quietly, biting her lip. Houjo nodded.

She quickly turned her eyes to Inuyasha, who was staring rather determinedly at the ground, his face beat red beneath a curtain of black hair. She carefully stepped towards him, her stance questioning.

"Inuyasha? W-would that... Umm... Be okay with you?"

Beneath his bangs, violet eyes widened in disbelief. She was actually gonna do it? He coughed, seeming to choke on air. "Y-your choice K-Kagome."

"I mean, it's not like its the first time we've k-kissed, right?" She giggled nervously, "I mean, sure, the one in Kaguya's castle was under different circumstances and all... But, you know..."

"Do what you think is right, Kagome. I don't care..."_ Not true, not true! C'mon Inuyasha, act like a man! You can't be blushing like a love struck pup!_"Just... Y'know..."

When he looked up to see where he was, he had to fight to keep from leaping away in shock. She was right in front of him, her eyes nervous and blushing brightly, but she gently brought her face forwards and pressed her lips to his own. He stood in shock, not responding, before unsuredly bringing his hands around her waist. She wound her hands up his chest and rested them on his neck, her kiss never becoming forceful, but remaining sweet, unsure and innocent, something he had expected from Kagome. She slowly pulled away and stared into his vivid violet eyes, her own nervous and unsure. She smiled carefully, and when he smiled back she hugged him tighter, her eyes filling with joy. They stood for a moment longer, before realising that they had an audience and jumped apart, but all Kagome saw was a foot moving around a corner, and felt sorrow enter her.

"Sorry, Houjo-kun." She whispered, felling Inuyasha approach her from behind as the sun began to rise over the distant horizon, "But... We were never meant to be..."

* * *

Across town, at that precise moment, Houjo stirred in his single bed, untangling himself from the sheets before falling with a sound thump on the floor. He grinned as he examined the herbs sitting on his side table, which were meant for a very special girl. He had not seen Kagome for a few monthes, but her distance did not affect his affection for her. No, he loved Kagome Higurashi, and nothing would ever change that.

Beaming, he got dressed and headed out into the new day.

* * *

At the very same moment, Houjo turned the corner away from the park, not daring to spare a glance at the lovey-dovey pair he left behind. Leaping behind a large bush, he felt his illusion crumble. Holding it while fighting Inuyasha had been hard, not to mention trying to fight as a human would. Sighing, he glanced through the branches, and in the distance he could see Kagome looking after him, and behind her Inuyasha's hair began to turn from black to silver, his dog ears appearing on his head and his eyes, violet before, bleeding into gold.

The demon sighed and flicked his fiery tail, wondering why his adoptive parents had sent him on this mission. Perhaps they had wanted a shove in the right direction, he wasn't sure, but he knew that he had completed their request to their satisfaction. Smirking, his mischievous emerald eyes lighting up in the sunrise, the fox yokai turned and walked away, allowing another illusion to shape him into another nameless face.

"You owe me one, Inuyasha." The fully grown fox demon thought for a moment, before realizing something. "Nah, punching you was enough to make me happy. We're even." And with a grin and a chortle, Shippou bounded home to where their future selves were no doubt waiting for him.

* * *

**Well, well, well, that explains the OOC Houjo, does it not? I liked it, and I don't know if the Shippou twist has been used (I just have never read one before, has it been used often? And if it has, sorry, I thought I was being creative) but I am, over all, satisfied with the outcome of this story. Man, since school started, I have been writing oneshot after oneshot. Figures I get all the inspiration when I actually have work to do again.**

**Now it's time to press that pretty little button! Yay!**


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